May 15, 2016 Booklist 5 www.booklistonline.com
the genius of land ethics, Aldo Leopold, and
Frank Craighead, who, with his twin, John,
formed the most forward-looking research
team in the then-nascent field of ecology. A
galvanizing storyteller fluent in the conflict
between environmental science and politics,
Smith brings every player into sharp and indelible focus as he illuminates the urgent issues
national parks grapple with as they struggle
to wisely manage predators, invasive species,
wildfires, and people. With fascinating forays
into topics ranging from “garbage-habituated”
bears to starving elks, fire-dependent sequoias,
and government cover-ups, Smith spotlights an
overlooked watershed moment in our troubled
relationship with the wild. —Donna Seaman

The Geek Feminist Revolution.

By Kameron Hurley.

May 2016. 272p. Tor, $26.99 (9780765386236); paper,

$15.99 (9780765386243). 302.

Novelist and Hugo-winning essayist Hurley
presents a brash call to action in the form of
short, personal exhortations. The collection
includes 36 essays, many originally published
as blog posts, and concludes with the Hugo
Award-winner, “We Have Always Fought,” on
the subject of women in combat. Using the
lens of personal experience, Hurley tackles the
speculative fiction publishing landscape and
online harassment, interrogates the question
of privilege, emphasizes the importance of
controlling narrative, and declares her fearlessness on every page. While Hurley consistently
demonstrates a high level of engagement with
her subject matter, her think pieces sometimes
only scratch the surface, leaving the reader
with a pithy pull quote rather than in-depth
understanding or concrete ways to take action. Those who would benefit most from a
radical shift in their perspective on women are
among those least likely to pick up this collection, but it will spark conversation and could
serve as an introductory text. Recommended
for newer writers—particularly women—and
readers looking for a follow-up to Roxanne
Gay’s Bad Feminist (2014). —Anna Mickelsen

How the Post Office Created America.

By Winifred Gallagher.

June 2016. 336p. Penguin, $28 (9781594205002). 383.

On the advice of the American colonies’
first postmaster general, Benjamin Franklin,
in 1792 the inaugural United States Congress
passed the Post Office Act, establishing the
newborn country’s first mail-delivery system.
Yet, according to versatile nonfiction writer
and journalist Gallagher (New, 2012) in this
well-researched history of the U.S. Postal Service, the founding fathers’ primary aim was
simple and lofty: to “ensure Democracy” by
making certain the citizenry stayed informed
with a daily newspaper. As the American
population grew and spread to the western
territories, the demand rose for the delivery
of other materials, from letters and packages to crates of mining tools and furniture.

which spurred companies like Wells Fargo
to compete with government carriers. Along
with offering other fascinating tidbits about
the USPS’ growing pains, from the Civil War
through WWII and beyond, Gallagher compellingly argues that mail delivery played a
vital role in creating American unity via interpersonal communication and points a way
forward to a postal service that can remain
relevant even in the Internet age. —Carl Hays

The Intelligent Conversationalist:31 Cheat Sheets That Will ShowYou How to Talk to Anyone aboutAnything, Anytime.

Small talk—we all hate it, yet we all have
to do it at some point or
another. You’re at a party
where you don’t know anyone but don’t want to be a
wallflower. Perhaps you’re
on a coffee break at work,
and everyone seems to know
something about a topic you
might have read about on
Facebook, but . . . . This unique book offers
a wide variety of facts that an average person
can talk about with just about anyone. The
content is divided into broad sections (such
as “Math and Economics,” “Religion,” and
“Culture”), with a brief informative overview,
then three to five cheat sheets that explore everything from grammar to the credit crunch.
Each of the 31 cheat sheets ends with a “
Social Survival Strategy,” offering an argument
one can inject to spur further conversation, a
“crisp fact” to be used to sound brilliant, and
a pivot point that can steer the group in another direction (try “Shall we make use of the
Twenty-first Amendment and have another
drink?” to get out of a thorny discussion of
the Constitution, for example). Great fun and
really smart. Readers who didn’t even know
they needed a book like this will find much to
enjoy here. —Rebecca Vnuk

Jackson, 1964: And OtherDispatches from Fifty Years ofReporting on Race in America.

By Calvin Trillin.

June 2016. 304p. Random, $27 (9780399588242). 305.8.

Best-selling master essayist Trillin (Quite
Enough of Calvin Trillin, 2011) has created
an exceptional collection of the articles he has
written as a staff writer on race and racism
for the New Yorker between

1964 and 2008. These aren’t
flashy stories; in fact, they
bring to mind the localism
of a community newspaper.

Yet in them Trillin addressesthe sensitive, complex issueshe raises from a national per-spective. He brings us intonumerous uncomfortable situations, exposingthrough perceptive observations and nuancedhumor the insidious nature of discriminatorypractices. From the title story and its revela-tions about the Mississippi voter registrationand education drives of the early 1960s to thetreatment of black student protesters in Wis-consin, Louisiana’s black-blood laws, and thedanger of accepting moderation when it comesto fighting racism, these inquiries expose theheadwinds African Americans have faced ingaining equal footing under the law. Eachpiece is followed by a brief and telling update.Trillin’s exceptional storytelling skills and deepsense of connection help us see each of thepeople he portrays as dignified individuals inprofoundly trying situations. —Dan KaplanHIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: PopularTrillin is always a draw, and the subjectof this caring compilation will double thisvolume’s appeal.

YA/C: Trillin’s thoroughly engaging
chronicles will illuminate personal
experiences for YAs studying issues of race
in their American history classes. DK.

Look at You Now: My Journey fromShame to Strength.

By Liz Pryor.

June 2016. 272p. Random, $28 (9780812998009).
306.874.

Pregnant at 17, Pryor is whisked away from
her prosperous North Shore Chicago neighborhood and placed in a lockdown facility in
Indiana by her mother, with strict orders to
keep her condition a secret. All of the other
girls in the home are from poor families, foster homes, or detention centers. Although
Pryor is allowed to move freely around the
grounds, the other residents are confined.
Accustomed to a challenging high school, a
lavish lifestyle, and savory food, Pryor has
problems at first relating to her fellow residents, many of whom can’t read and have
little education. Desperately lonely and filled
with guilt, she turns for comfort to her guitar, which becomes a way for her to connect

• Adult titles recommended for teens are
marked with the following symbols: YA,
for books of general YA interest; YA/C,
for books with particular curriculum
value; YA/S, for books that will appeal
most to teens with a special interest in
a specific subject; and YA/M, for books
best suited to mature teens.